Sydney Sooners home field gets big upgrade

The nearly 50-year-old Susan B. MacEachernMemorial Field in Sydney has seen a lot of baseball in its day, and its operators are hoping a major restoration will put it in the big leagues with a national championship.

The field is home to the Sydney Sooners of the Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League.It wasbuilt during Canada's Centennial in 1967 and nolonger meets national standards set by Baseball Canada.

But it will once extensive improvements are complete, according toSoonerscoach and manager,Rico MacEachern.

"(New) playing surface, the infield surfaceis being replaced with an artificial surface. All the other grass surfacethat encompasses the field, the outfield, will all be replaced with natural grass,"he said.

"Two newly renovated bullpens, there'll be a new batting cage. The existing dugouts will stay, but will be renovated."

From the ground up

The work will cost nearly $1 million, but MacEachernthinks the payoff could be big.The Sooners have bid to host the Canadian Senior Baseball NationalChampionships in 2017 and 2018.

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality is paying about a third of the cost of the upgrade.

"It will showcase baseball," says Coun.LowellCormier, who has coached baseball at the senior level andsits on the committee overseeing the work.

"It will certainly be an economic impact to our region, which is in dire need of economic stimulus."

Cormier said acquiring a national championship would be huge.

"We may draw fans from across the province because of the caliber of the ball being played," he said.

The work on the ball field is expected to be finished by early December.

Rico MacEachern said the Sooners should know by the end of November whether their bid for the nationals has been successful.